Former Baltimore Ravens player, Michael Oher, was greeted by a throng of supporters at a book signing event in Baltimore on Monday night.
The event was held at The Ivy Bookshop in Hampden, where Oher was promoting his new book, “When Your Back’s Against the Wall: Fame, Football and Lessons Learned through a Lifetime of Adversity.”
“This book, it means a lot to me,” Oher said during brief remarks at the start of the event. “Basically, it’s a playbook on life and how I continue to fight back when your back’s against the wall. That’s how I’ve felt all my life.”
The event took place amid a public legal battle between Oher and the Tuohy family, who took him in as a teenager.
Oher has accused Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy of misrepresenting themselves as his adoptive parents and is seeking to terminate their conservatorship over him.
Despite the ongoing lawsuit, dozens of fans turned up to meet Oher and get their copies of his book signed. “Michael Oher’s story is very inspiring so we thought it would be cool to come and see him,” said Isa O’Donnell, one of the attendees.
Oher, who played offensive tackle for the Ravens from 2009-2013, spoke to fans, telling some he couldn’t say much given the lawsuit and with reporters present. Those attending the book signing told reporters that the situation is a matter for the courts and they just want to meet Oher.
“I think the world of Michael as a human being. I haven’t had a chance to read this book yet but I’ve read his others and I’m just looking forward to getting into his story,” said Todd Allen, from Dover, Pennsylvania.
Oher’s life has been an inspiration for people all over the country since it was highlighted in the movie, “The Blind Side” in 2009. That’s why the news that he was suing his guardians, Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, caught so many people by surprise.
The Tuohys have called the claims they enriched themselves at his expense outlandish, hurtful and absurd and part of a “shakedown” by Oher. Lawyers representing the couple also said the Tuohys would enter into a consent order to end the conservatorship they say Oher was aware of long before this year.
Oher played eight NFL seasons after being the 23rd pick in the 2009 draft out of Mississippi. The offensive lineman started 110 games and won the Super Bowl with the Ravens, also playing for Tennessee and Carolina. He last played in 2016 and was released by the Panthers in 2017.
